Folding machine



Nov. 18, 1930. G, splEss 1,781,768

A FOLDING MAcHNE l v Filed May 9, 1928 1s no longer required directly to take part in l' i Patentedov. 18,1930

UNITED STATES PTATENT oFFic'zi-z- 'y Gaone seines, or LEIPZIG, annimmtv nonnina momia Applica-tion mea any s, 192s, Lserial No. 276,328, ma in Germany :army 1s, 1921.'

According to a known method of folding sheets of paper and the like the'sheet is fed with its front edge into a narrow ide, by means of rollers, and caused to stri e a stop k3 while still being pushed from behind, so that it buckles and 1s gripped by a pair of rollers and is folded. This method frequently gives rise to inaccurate folding especially inthe case of thin and weak paper, because the sheet is liable to meet with resistance inthe guide, for example owing to deflection, which leads to premature folding. Another cause of faulty folding is that when the sheet strikes' the stop it is not always buckled in the right place. v p

For avoiding these defects I arrange that the portion of the sheet, which is to be buckled for producing the fold and hitherto is limited only on the front side by the pair of 20 feed rollers pressing the sheet between themselves, is confined to smaller limits than heretofore. arran e also a limiting element on the other end o the small sheet portion to be buckled, namely a clamping or gripping device whichk comes into operation when the sheet has reached the folding position. This method not only ensures greater accuracy in regard to the position o enables the guide to be so constructed that it opposes less resistance to the feed because it the operation of buckling.

The clamping device may be a movable roller which cooperates with a folding roller rotating in the opposite direction to the direction of feed of the sheet.

According tothe invention the feeding of the-sheet Aand the action of the gripper or of the rollers which eiect a backward feed of the forward part of the sheet are controlled in suchdependence on each other that the forward part of the sheet is gripped or fed back directly from the feeder'.

Forthis pu ose a device regulating the 4& 5 sheet entry, an the gripper or reverse lfeed rollers may be actuated by the same mecha-A msm in proper relation to each other. The sheet entry may be effected by rollers to which sheets are fed at predetermined inter vals, and these rollers may be connected to the fold, but also the gripper or the reverse feeder. The gripper or reversefee'demay consist of a roller or rollerseccentric in relation toa shaft and acting in the course of eachy revolution of the f shaft to temporarily press the sheet against an abutment surface which may serve or not as a re'verse-feed-roller. The said eccentric rollerV may be circularly adjustable on a rotating disc. Instead of eccentric rollers I may use a shaft with sector-shaped ro'ections for grippingI or feeding back the iol'- ward part of the sheet. The approach of the sheets to the rollers effecting its entry maybe controlled by travelling sheet revistermg devices against which the front edtges of the sheets abut., The creasing of the sheet, for entrance between the folding rollers, may be effected by meansof a stationary bar. A regulatable controlled blast of air delivered at the proper time or continuouslymay also be used for bending the sheet for the folding operation. Alternatively a moving baractuated by a tappet may be used for the pur se. This tappet may be circularly adjustab e on f a disc, and may be connected with the roller 75 which is pressed against the forward part of the sheet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts to be herein-V after fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and'illustrated in the accom- 'pan .ing drawing which forms a part of this app cation and in which alldetails of folding machines not necessary for the explanaf tion of my invention are omitted.

Fig. 1 is artly a vertical sectional view, artly a si e view in elevation, of a paper olding machine equipped with my improvement. y

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification. 4. Figs, 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views of modifications of details. v Y

In the drawings 1 is a frame, 2 a feed table, and 4\ a re 'stering ruler. 5 and 6'are "'olding rollers, isa grid for holding down4 the sheets and there is another grid 7 for/the front part of the sheetlfedl beyond the folding rollers. Shafts 33, 34 carry pulleysvwith belts 35, on which are registeringdevices 54 10 A 5. The' latter is connected with thepivot 49 o re lating the feed cf the sheets. A-feed frame, whereby roller 37 is free to turn loosel; in'either direction and normally swings wnward and presses by gravity against roller 36 or againstA the'paper sheet contacting therewith. Shaft 38 drives/by means'of gears 39, 41 therollers 5,-6, and by means of gears 39, 41, 43 the shaft 34. A chain 44,

shaft 45 and gears 46, 47 drive a shaft 48 y carryin a roller on an eccentric pivot' 49, this rol er being at .each revolution of the pping or reverse 5T Y the feed rolls as lon shaft pressed against an abutment in the form of a coacting gripping roll 51 which is mounted to revolve in either direction, and which is therefore free to revolve in the oposite `direction to the normal direction of eed of the sheet. The rollers 50 and 51 therefore coact to grip the sheet at the moment of its reverse feed and the roller 51 is free to turn under the pressure of roller 50 to assist in starting the sheet on its reverse j feed. The pivot 49 is adjustable in a circul4ar slot 52,;providedin a disc fixed to shaft su :10 reduce the distance between the rollers 36 51 the folding roller 5 ma cooperate with ro ler's 53, to act as'a feed ro ler. The roller.

51 is preferably as close as possible to the `roller 6, and the latter may be itself used as a feeding roller instead of e roller 51. a

According to Fig. 1' the sheet is buckled in the direction between the folding rollers 5, 6 by a bar 55, and according to Fig. 2 by a blower consisting of a' pipe 56 with nozz es, connected by pi e 57 to'a fan. The valve arm 58 is contro led by a cam 59 on shaft 45.

The blast delivered bythe nozzles may be intermittent, ci. e., delivered at plil'oper periods for folding actions-,during w 'c theV blast apparatus may be inactive, or the blast may be continuous, in which'event it may be normally weak enou h to prevent the feeding sheet from being orced thereby between the folding rolls, and increased to la proper intensity -for -afolding action at folding periods, or the blast may be continuous and o the same intensity weak enough for reventing downward de ection of the sheet etween .as the sheet is traveling, but of suicient intensity when the sheet is arrested bythe clamping lmeans to 'force ,it between the folding rolls for the folding action. y

According to Fig. 3, thesheet buckle is led between the folding rollers by a bar 60 carried by arms 61 on a rock-shaft 62 having an arm\ 63 controlled by a spring 64 and cam 6 f about a shaft in interdepen memes the roller 50,'and together with the pivot adinstable.

on a shaft 66 corresponding to shaft 48 instead of the eccentric roller 50 is provided forclamping or feeding back the forward part of the sheet.

What I claim is: 1. A folding machine for folding sheets of aper or the like having in combination with olding rollers and means for, feeding the forward part of -the sheets past said rollers a sheet clamping device placed a. short distance beyond said rollers' in the direction of feed, said clam ing device comprisin an abutment mem er and a member move alternately to and from said abutment member.

2. A folding machine according to claim 1, wherein the movable clamping member is a roller which cooperates with a roller free to rotate in the opposite direction to the direction of feed of the sheet. Y.

3. In a folding machine according to claim 1, the` combination of means for regulating the sheet entry to the folder and of means forclampingthe forwardpartpfthesheet,said re ating means and said clampin means being controlled to operate in depen ence on each other.

4. In afolding machine according to claim 1 the combination of means for regulating the' sheet entry to the folder and o means for clamping the forwa 'd part of the sheet, said clamping means co prising a movable pressing roller cooperatin with a roller free to rotate in opposite direction to the direction of feed of the sheet, and of means for controlling the movable pressing roller to o erate in dependence on the sheet entry regulating means.

5. Foldingy machine according to claim 1 characterized in that the sheet entry is regulated by positively feeding rollers to whlch the sheets are fed at predetermined intervals, and that the device controlling the gripper or the reversefeed of the forward part of the sheet is actuated together with the feed rollers positively effectin the entranceof the sheet. 6. Foldin mac 'ne according to claim 1, characterize in that the device for gripping or feedingback the forward part of the sheet consists of a roller rotating eccentrically ence with the positive feed rollers for the sheet entry, said roller at each revolution temporarily pressing the forward part of the sheet against a roller free to rotate in the opposite direction to the'sheet entry. l J

7. Folding -machine according to claim 1 characterized in that the sheet feeding means comprises feed rollers the delivery of the sheets to which is regulated by rotating uges. '8. A folding machine according to claim 1 in which the member movable alternately to According to Fig. 4 a segment bar 67 fixed lli and from the stationary abutment member comprises an eccentrically mounted roller circularly adjustable on a'rotating disk.

9. A folding machine aocordn to claim 1, characterized 1n that the device or grip ing or feeding back 'the forward part of the eet consists of a roller rotating .eccentrically about a shaft, in coo ration with ositive feed rollers for the s eet entry, sai eccentricall rotating rollers being circularly adjustab e on a rotary disk carried by said shaft and operating at each revolution to temporarily press the forward part of the sheet V against a roller free to rotate in the opposite d1rection to the sheet entry.

In testimony whereof I aix my si ature.

l GEORG SP SS. 

